Feel like a picnic
by captainpezberry
Summary: Prompt fill: A little behind the scenes look at what happened before the aired picnic scene in 1X19


_Feel like a picnic? _

_Paige_

It was a simple enough question but it had taken Paige seven tries to send it after typing, re-typing, re-reading, and changing the wording of the question. She wanted it to sound casual but not too casual that Emily could say no without feeling bad. She wanted it to be something that interested Emily enough to at least show up and see what a picnic with her was like but didn't want to make it sound too exciting so that Emily wasn't let down when she showed up. The thing she wanted most, though, was just to see the girl anyway she could so she had spent all of that morning re-living the night before and wondering how and when she could see her again. Suddenly the idea struck and it had taken another two hours for her to pluck up the courage to open her phone and start composing a new message to her in hopes the girl would want to see her too.

Now Paige was pacing her room, back and forth in front of the window, glancing at the screen of her phone to see if there was a new message every thirty seconds. She could have sworn that hours had passed, maybe even days, before she heard the tone of her message alert going off. A smile jumped into the muscles of her face and she stopped mid step and looked at the screen. Suddenly her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. She paused before opening the phone, a moment of panic coursing through her. What if Emily said no? What if she regretted the night before?

Suddenly Paige's mouth felt dry. She swallowed hard and licked at her lips. She closed her eyes a moment and gave a slight shake of her head to push away the doubts filling her thoughts. This was just like anything else in her life that she wanted. She wouldn't give up. If that message was a no, she would try again. Paige McCullers did not give up when she really wanted something. This was the first time Paige had felt like herself in longer than she could remember and she really wanted more of that, more of this girl, so she would keep trying. She needed to keep trying. Every moment with Emily lately had made her happier and freer than the moment before and she would do anything to hang onto those precious moments of sanity in a world that made less sense by the minute.

With a determined nod, Paige looked at her phone and flipped it open. She took a deep breath, scrolled to her new messages, and opened it.

_Sure. When and where?_

_Em_

Paige read it four, five, six times before she finally blinked. The smile that was held on her features was nearly hurting because it was spread so wide. She bit her bottom lip and clasped the phone to her chest before turning in a spin then dropping to her bed. She let out a girly giggle and rolled over onto her stomach, pulling her phone from her chest, and looking at the message once more. She said yes.

Not wanting to seem too over eager, Paige wanted five minutes to reply to the message. She gave the girl the time and place and told her to come hungry. Once the plan was set in motion it was time to get everything ready to go. Paige slid off her bed and hurried downstairs to the kitchen. Her parents weren't due home for another few hours so she could make a picnic for two without being questioned and leave them a note saying she was out with her teammates and would be home later. Not a total lie.

It was a whirlwind in the kitchen as Paige grabbed things she thought Emily might like. She had to be careful what she took. It had to be something her parents wouldn't really miss, nothing they set aside for a special dinner. She had to pick something that she would eat but not too much of it so it was obvious that more than one person had indulged in it. Maybe less of a meal and more of a light snack for the two of them would be a better idea. She wasn't sure what would be worse, her father thinking she was over eating or her father thinking she was sneaking away to see someone. She was better off packing enough for one and if Emily seemed overly hungry, she would just give her half to her.

With the picnic basket packed, Paige now focused on what she would wear. Something casual so it didn't seem like too much of a date. Even if the night before had been way more than just an outing between friends, she didn't want Emily to think she was some needy clingy girl who thought every time they hung out it was a date. But, on the same note, she did want to look good. She wanted to keep Emily interested. She was new at this whole impressing a girl thing, but it had to be easier than impressing a guy, right? Girls noticed things like clothes and hairstyles and guys only cared how much skin you were showing. Casual and comfortable with maybe just a little bit of a flirty style to it. It would be perfect.

She spent so much time in front of the mirror looking over the outfit she had picked and making sure her hair looked good that she was almost late in leaving. She panicked a little when she saw that it was almost time to leave to head to the meeting spot in the woods. She took a deep breath and one more glance in the mirror before nodding and heading back downstairs to gather the picnic supplies then head out to her destination.

The spot she had chosen was within walking distance from her house. It was a place she used to escape to as a child to climb trees and let her imagination run wild. Her dad was always so focused on making sure she was the best at everything she did, she never felt free to just be a kid, even as a kid. So every now and then she would tell her dad she was going to a friend's place to study and escape into the woods. It wasn't a total lie. She considered the trees around her in that place her friends. Some of her only friends.

Each step toward her favorite spot caused her heart to race faster in her chest. This spot would now hold a new significance. It would be a day to remember. She was sharing this place with someone special, her first real someone special and the first person she had ever wanted to share this spot with. Emily was stepping into a small part of Paige's world today, the part without walls, the part where she was free. It was terrifying and thrilling all at once. There were two places in the world she felt she could totally be herself; the pool and these woods. At least the woods never came along with a truckload of pressure to be the best.

Paige smiled as she stepped into the clearing and drew in a deep breath. The familiar scents of the nature she loved filled her nostrils and she closed her eyes for a moment to let herself fully embrace her surroundings. The sounds of the chirping of birds and cracking of branches were like a welcome home cheer. The warm sunlight beaming through the branches over head was like a blanket wrapping around her to keep her safe. She had missed this place. She wished she had more time to escape but with nearly every moment of her life accounted for by her overbearing father it was nearly impossible now.

As her eyes cracked open and adjusted to the familiar sights around her, a soft smile of satisfaction rose on her lips. Emily was going to love it here. She set to work, spreading out the blanket at the base of her favorite tree and perching the basket near its roots to keep it shielded from direct sunlight. She smoothed the dirt and leaves off the blanket so everything looked neat and pristine for Emily. Then she remembered Emily was not her mother and she picked up a few leaves and casually tossed them up to make it look like they had fallen on the blanket as Paige waited for her arrival. There, everything was perfect.

Paige drew in a deep breath and started to pace again. She would take three or four steps then stop, swearing she had heard a twig crack under a foot. She would strain her eyes to look through the woods for movement and when nothing came of it, she would start pacing again. It felt like hours. Paige had to fight the urge to look at her watch every few minutes. Emily would not stand her up. She had her phone with her and if that was the case, she was sure Emily would at least text and let her know she couldn't make it.

As minutes passed, though, she began to chew her lip nervously. She checked her phone to make sure she had service. Full service. Paige let out a sigh and stuffed her phone back into her pocket. She was being paranoid. Emily would show. She took two more pacing steps then stopped again at the sound of cracking in the distance. She squinted and moved in that direction in hopes of seeing Emily emerging through the brush. She was staring through the trees, looking for any sign of life. When nothing moved, she let out a huge sigh and shook her head. Maybe this was stupid. Maybe this was payback for making Emily's life Hell a few weeks ago. She couldn't blame her.

She was just turning around to head back to the blanket and gather her things when out of the trees on the other side of the clearing stepped Emily. She emerged like an angel through a cloud, it seemed. The sunlight was beaming around her perfectly, even streaming through her hair, as if she were in the movies and this was her grand entrance.

"Sorry I'm late. I got halfway here and noticed I forgot my speakers." She held up the dock where her ipod was sitting and gave Paige that little half smile, half shrug look before blinking her big brown eyes once. "You didn't think I would stand you up, did you?"

"Don't be silly" Paige said through a breath of a laugh, the sound more of relief than actual amusement. She licked at her lips and eyed the girl up and down slowly. She looked good. She always looked good and she was sure the girl didn't even try half the time. "I'm glad you made it." She was able to finally say once she realized she was staring. She lifted her eyes to meet Emily's expectant gaze then cleared her throat and motioned with her hand to the blanket "Hungry?"

Emily's half smile grew full, her slight dimples appearing on each side, and her head gave a single nod "I brought my appetite like you said I should."

Paige couldn't help the slight smirk that crept to her lips at that. She gave her own head a single nod, her eyes never leaving Emily as she whispered out a soft "Good" before the girls moved to sit on the blanket. This was already the best time she had ever had in her favorite spot in the world.


End file.
